Patient safety plans outlined ahead of industrial action

The BMA and NHS England have written to the leaders of hospital trusts in England outlining plans to ensure patient safety during this week’s industrial action. It comes with junior doctors planning to run picket lines across the country from 8am to 5pm on Tuesday and Wednesday — in protest against health secretary Jeremy Hunt’s imposed contract. A letter signed by BMA council chair Mark Porter (pictured above, right) and NHS England medical director Professor Sir Bruce Keogh advises chief executives of trusts of the protocols in place should hospitals struggle to cope. Trusts have put comprehensive contingency plans in place, which will see consultants cover the key work performed by junior doctors but the protocols can be triggered under exceptional circumstances. The letter says: ‘NHS England and the BMA wish to ensure that, while junior doctors are taking lawful industrial action, patients remain safe. ‘NHS England and the BMA acknowledge that, despite comprehensive contingency plans, there are a range of major and unpredictable circumstances, which may render those plans insufficient to maintain safe patient care, and which may result in a trust making a formal request to NHS England, that junior doctors be requested to return to work.’   Trigger point The protocols will be enacted if a ‘major incident’ is externally declared or a trust’s management believe they are demonstrating exceptional and sustained deteri...
Source: BMA News - Category: UK Health Source Type: news